


Wherefore Art Thou Mercutio?

by Fire_Bear



Series: Stage Right [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Actors, Also of a sort, Alternate Universe - Actors, M/M, References to Shakespeare, Secret Admirer, Shakespeare Quotations, Spying - of a sort?, Theatre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 01:41:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13471020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Since Keith has accepted the challenge for the Danny auditions, he decides to check out Lance on stage in order to see how likely it is that he'll lose their bet.He does not expect to be swept away in the story of a futuristic Romeo and Juliet with the help of Lance's acting.





	1. Aside

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a continuation from one of my Christmas 'one-shots' so... It probably makes more sense to read that one first but I also briefly explain stuff in the first chapter.

Shiro had been bugging him for a while to come to his theatre group. Apparently, he thought that Keith should form bonds and friendships with people ‘his own age’. Keith had told him to stop being an idiot. But the producers on _Jilly_ _and_ _Co_. were still humming and hawing about whether they would actually make this new series and he had nothing to do till they'd decided since He was still on their contract. 

So he’d let himself get talked into doing a musical at Voltron Theatre. Keith had never been so thankful that he had a halfway decent singing voice and he was looking forward to doing something a little different. Or, he had been until he'd met some douche who was a theatre member. Not only had he insulted him but he'd tried to force him to meet his little sister, Keith's ‘biggest fan’ or whatever.

Then he’d issued his challenge over the Danny role and Keith… For some reason, he had accepted. There was no reason to; he was likely to be given the role since Shiro had been going on about it for a while now. But something about the guy, with his dark skin and his piercing blue eyes had riled Keith up.

Keith was looking forward to seeing the idiot trying to act in a Bigfoot costume.

However… There was still a chance Keith wouldn't get it. Maybe the amateur was a good singer. Maybe they’d pick based on their singing or their enthusiasm for the role. Keith figured that would be anyone.

But that meant that he'd have to scout out the opposition. So Keith waited until the theatre was showcasing its version of Romeo and Juliet. He made sure to wear a pair of thick glasses he didn't need, a beanie hat over hair he had pinned up to make shorter and kept himself bundled up in a thick, black coat as he entered. The person behind the ticket booth squinted at him.

“Are you here for the show?” they asked.

“Uh, yeah?” said Keith. “It's ten dollars, right?”

“Yup.”

Handing over the money, Keith said, “I hear this production’s good?” He hoped that would be enough of a prod to find out how well everything was going.

“ Hm,” said the ticket person, adjusting their glasses. “What world do you live in that Shiro and Allura's plays  _ don't  _ do well?”

“It would be going a lot better if people didn't keep getting ill,” said a voice behind Keith. He turned to find a big man with a sheepish look striding up to the ticket booth, a tray slung around his neck. Upon it was an assortment of snacks and drinks and a small pile of programmes. The man didn't seem bothered by the weight of it. 

“Hunk, shush!” urged the person behind the counter. “He’s a customer!”

“Isn’t it a patron?” Hunk asked.

“Whatever. You gonna show this guy to his seat?”

“Sure,” said Hunk, cheerfully. 

“By the way,” said the brunette, frowning at Keith. “You look awfully familiar - do I know you from somewhere?”

“Probably not,” Keith quickly answered. 

“Hmm.”

“ Come this way, dude,” said Hunk, making his way to the auditorium.He took a look at the ticket as he walked. "Looks like Pidge has given you a seat in the stalls."

"Oh, yeah. Not fussed where I sit."

"Yeah, it'll be good wherever you sit. My friend is in it and he's super good. Like, the way he can, y'know, get so invested in the character. I always forget who he is for a while."

"Huh. Who's he playing?"

"Mercutio. He makes me laugh every time."

"That's a glowing review," Keith remarked as Hunk held the door open for him.

"He deserves it! He works really hard on all his roles. There's a musical coming up and he's been singing all the songs pretty much constantly." Hunk grimaced. "It's kinda driving me and Pidge crazy. This way!"

The theatre Shiro and Allura had managed to build with their own money was almost futuristic, on the inside at least. While the outside looked like a normal rec centre or community hall, the inner part was all sleek, shiny white walls. All of the chairs were big enough for anyone of any size to fit on them, with soft cushions and handy cup holders. There were even little tables you could pull out and fold around to be in front of you. Little kids and shorter people were able to see by dint of a fancy device fitted in all the chairs in the stalls where the bottom of them could rise or lower as the person wanted. At the back of the room were counters above which shutters had been pulled down – that was where they had chosen to put the bar. Directly opposite them was the thick, dark red curtains. The musicians' pit was just about visible underneath it. There was a quiet muttering as people settled into their seats and waited for the curtains to open: there weren't many in the audience but it _was_ the middle of the week and Keith suspected it'd get busier as word spread about it.

Hunk led him down the centre aisle, stopping halfway down it. "Your seat's just four in – you see it?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Keith replied, flashing a quick smile in Hunk's direction.

Ripping one bit off the ticket, Hunk handed him the rest of it. "Enjoy the show!" he declared.

"Oh, hey, wait," said Keith, catching his arm. "I was wondering... what did you mean about people being sick?"

"Ah, some sort of stomach bug," Hunk told him, grimacing. "Me and Pidge don't work here but our friends asked us to fill in. Don't worry about it – the show will go on! They've got understudies and everything."

With a cheery wave, Hunk moved off and Keith sidled along the row. As it turned out, Pidge had given him a seat almost dead centre with the stage. He was going to have a good view of the players, he realised, and he settled in to wait, glad no-one else seemed to be around to recognise him if he took off his hat.

* * *

When the play started, Keith regretted not buying a programme. He probably should have guessed from Shiro's obsession with sci-fi and the fact that the posters for the play had shooting stars, their trails crossing over each other, but it wasn't a traditional Shakespearean play. As it was, he was completely unprepared for the narrator to descend from above in a traditional spaceship, their skin painted green and with antennae on their head.

Apparently, Romeo would be from one planet and Juliet from another.

Indeed, the Capulets seemed to be some sort of purple alien with big fluffy ears. All of them looked ridiculous bar Juliet on whom they'd cut back on the fur. She was wearing a light green dress in her first scene. Keith had difficulty taking them seriously, especially the nurse who seemed to have _more_ fur than anyone else. He bit his lip to keep from laughing.

In contrast, the Montagues hadn't been painted. They had pointed ears instead with little markings just under their eyes. Every single one of them looked beautiful, almost unearthly. Romeo was easily the most handsome man on the stage and Keith thought the make-up artist should be given some sort of an award.

Somehow, Shiro and Allura had made the setting and characters _more_ believable than in the play so Keith was shocked when Lance suddenly appeared. It wasn't until the 4th scene that he saw him, striding onto the stage, a purple mask atop his head. Flicking his eyes between 'Mercutio' (Hunk's friend, Keith realised) and Romeo, he realised that the make-up artist had done an excellent job: while Lance was still as... attractive... as before, he didn't look as desirable as Romeo.

At least, he didn't until he'd opened his mouth and stole the show. His cocky smirk and cheeky grin made his words seem all the more suggestive. He didn't hesitate to use the background to gesture and flail and, at one point in his performance, Keith was surprised to realise that Lance had darted across the whole stage while Romeo and Benvolio and the rest of them fake-laughed at his antics. When he got to his speech about dreams, he even took the opportunity to flit around Romeo, prodding him at every body part mentioned. He winked at Romeo when he mentioned the parson and the benefice and even slapped Romeo's ass when he mentioned the pig's tail. Keith was convinced he would keep going when Romeo cut him off and Lance seemed to almost calm a little.

He was only on the stage for a meagre amount of time but, by the interval, Keith was relatively impressed. Lance was apparently gifted in the art of comedy. However, in terms of the musical, Keith didn't think he'd be able to pull off a lead role. Keith relaxed a little.

* * *

During the interval, Keith decided he wanted to stretch his legs so he wandered out to the foyer. Pidge was still behind the ticket booth, tapping at her phone. They didn't seem to notice him so he made his way down a corridor which led to the toilets. He was also under the impression that, if you had the proper code, you could get into the back rooms. Since no-one was around to stop him pacing at least once up and down, Keith headed down it, rubbing at the back of his neck as he went.

As he approached the toilets, though, he saw that the men's door was propped open. He slowed as he neared it, wondering what was going on. However, when he got closer, he caught sight of a familiar red tunic and he froze. Before he could rush off, he heard Lance speak.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, suppose," said a rough voice. Keith frowned. That voice sounded familiar, too.

"Seriously, Craig, don't push yourself. If you need to go home, say something."

There was a flushing sound and the click of a lock. "I'm fine," said the voice and Keith suddenly recognised the voice of Romeo. "I can't abandon the show in the middle of a performance."

"No-one will blame you. Besides, we've got, like, ten more days of this, buddy. You can't be sick every night for ten days. I mean, you gotta rest and get better so you can blow their minds. Or, y'know, make them think you really love Liv."

A heavy sigh. "I know, Lance. But maybe I'll be better by tomorrow."

An answering sigh. Lance stepped backwards a little and Keith moved back as well. "I hope so. But you really think you can go on tonight?"

"Yeah."

Keith didn't stick around to hear more. As quickly and quietly as possible, he slipped back down the hall. Nobody called after him so he breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the foyer. He then jumped when a voice came over a tannoy to let people know that the show was starting again. People were already filtering into the auditorium and Keith joined them, wondering if Romeo would actually be able to survive till the end of the play.

* * *

Romeo did keep going, though there were a few times he had to swallow a lot before speaking. Keith was sure he was throwing up as soon as he got off the stage each time. With the lead distracted, the others had to pick up the slack a bit. The most impressive of this was when Lance, waiting for Romeo to speak, mocked him with the same cadence and ending in the same word. It was entirely made up but it sounded like Shakespeare had written it and the audience laughed. Keith wondered if he had a stock of these for just this occasion.

When it came to Mercutio’s death scene, Keith was prepared for comedy. Instead, Lance carried off the drama well. Keith watched him getting steadily more annoyed with Tybalt until, finally, he pulled his laser gun out. The two of them backed off a little, shooting at each other as they said their lines. Romeo hesitated almost a moment too long at one point and he looked a tad green but Lance filled in for him by claiming to have killed one of Tybalt’s minions. Then Romeo entered the fray and Mercutio -  _ Lance  _ \- tried to pull him aside only to be shot when Tybalt ducked under Romeo's arm.

Lance honestly looked as though he hadn't been expecting it. He fell to his knees, eyes wide and mouth agape. Keith felt himself twitch and heard several members of the audience gasp. Emotions flickered across Lance's face and both Romeo and Benvolio looked horrified.

As Lance made his final speech, Keith could see his resignation. It was swiftly followed by growing anger as he declared, “A _plague_ o’ both your houses!” Then he seemed to slump heavily against Benvolio, defeated. He was helped off the stage, his head dropping lower as he moved and his feet dragging. Finally, he left the stage - and the audience burst into a quick smattering of applause. That gave Romeo time to recover a little, just enough to continue.

That same appreciation was increased ten-fold when the play finally ended and the cast came on to make their final bows. All of them were grinning as they came forward but Lance beamed at the audience, blowing them kisses and taking big, sweeping bows, his arm waving in the air and everything. The noise was intense and it didn't stop until the curtain had been down for a few minutes.

While the audience continued to make noise, Keith took the opportunity to slip out. He was more confident, now, that he wouldn't have to wear a Mothman costume. Lance seemed to be the kind of actor who could carry the leads but he doubted he could portray the gravitas of a main character. They would just have to wait for the auditions to see what would happen.


	2. Soliloquy

The next morning, Shiro called Keith. "Hey," he said once Keith had answered. "You doing anything tonight?"

"Uh, no? Why, you wanna hang out?" Keith asked as he nudged his fridge door closed. He carried the mayonnaise and plate of leftover chicken back to the counter where he'd left the bread.

"Hm, maybe," said Shiro, in a tone of voice that suggested that he was grinning. "I was actually thinking that you could come watch our show?"

Keith nearly dropped his food. Quickly, he put it down and grabbed hold of his cell phone in case that fell, too. "What?" he said, trying to keep his voice even.

"It's Romeo and Juliet," Shiro explained. "Matt's coming tonight, too, and I thought he could pick you up. Save having you walking in alone – just in case someone recognises you. One of the cast, his sister adores you, and she might be there to watch it tonight."

"Um, I..." Keith hadn't told Shiro about his excursion the night before. He hadn't wanted anyone to know he was threatened by Lance. Or interested in him. Or whatever it was he was feeling. But he definitely couldn't turn up two nights in a row - someone might notice. Keith would just have to talk himself out of going altogether.

"You can't say you've got stuff to do," Shiro said, sternly. "You just said you wanted to hang out."

"No, I was asking if _you_ want to hang out."

"Keith. Please. This is the perfect opportunity for you to scope out the theatre, get used to the place. And you'll get to see the rest of the people you'll be performing with."

"I don't think-"

"Please?" Shiro pleaded.

Unable to say no to that voice or the vision of Shiro's puppy dog eyes that accompanied it, Keith sighed. "Okay, _fine_. When is Matt gonna get here?"

* * *

Matt picked him up an hour before the performance, citing the need to get across town. As such, they were 35 minutes early. Keith was in his previous get-up, relieved that Matt had the tickets (closer to the stage this time) and knew exactly where to go. There would be absolutely no need to talk to anyone but Matt.

Or so Keith thought until Matt strode into the foyer and yelled, "Katie!"

From the ticket booth, came a groan. "Oh, no."

Once again, Pidge was sitting in the booth, their phone out. They sat up as Matt came closer and they were probably glad for the glass wall surrounding them – at least, they looked it, particularly when Matt wrapped his arms around as much of the booth as he could. Upon finishing his hug, Matt turned to Keith and gestured for him to come closer. Since Matt had the tickets, Keith braced himself and made his way over.

"This is my little sister, Pidge," Matt told him. "And, Pidge, this is Keith. Shiro's other best friend."

Pidge raised an eyebrow and looked Keith over. They - ‘she’, Keith supposed, since she hadn't corrected Matt - smirked at him once she'd confirmed it really was the guy she'd seen the night before. But, instead of a confrontation, Pidge turned back to her brother. "Isn't he his _only_ best friend?" she asked.

"How dare you?!" Matt exclaimed. "I am also his best friend."

"More like substitute best friend."

"Aw, c'mon, Pidge," Matt groaned, flopping forward and bumping his head off the glass. "Don't show me up in front of _Keith Kogane_." He leapt up, arms wide as he grinned down at her.

Looking between them, Pidge shrugged. "Yeah. Seen him before. Besides, I _know_ Keith Kogane is Shiro's best friend. It's, like, common knowledge."

"Sometimes my sister is so mean," Matt said in an aside to Keith.

"I... see," said Keith, not quite sure what he should be doing in this situation. Besides inwardly praying that Pidge wouldn't mention that he'd been there the night before, that is.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Pidge asked, successfully diverting Matt's attention back to her.

“Shiro gave me free tickets!” Matt exclaimed. “But, y’know, also asked me to bring his other best friend for his very first time here!”

They both looked at Keith who shifted slightly, trying not to show his embarrassment or look Pidge in the eye. Finally, Pidge turned back to Matt and Keith relaxed a little. “Well, you better go in. More people will be turning up soon and I’ll have to-”

“Pidge!” came a cry and Hunk rushed towards them from seemingly nowhere. “Bad news! Oh, hey Matt.”

“Has Craig still not turned up?” she asked.

“He just called in - he tried to take some off the shelf medicine for whatever was wrong with him but he had a reaction to it and he's been in hospital all day. The understudy is gonna have to cover for him!”

“Really?” asked Pidge. Keith couldn't tell whether she was happy or not. Did she not like Craig or did she simply prefer the understudy?

“Sounds kinda horrible,” Matt commented. “But, hey, the show goes on.”

“Yeah,” said Hunk, grimacing. “I would be too worried about him to act. I don't know how Lance does it.”

“Because he loves acting, right, Mister Kogane?” said Pidge, glancing at him.

“I, uh, yeah,” Keith replied. “But acting on TV is different from on stage so I can't really speak for him.”

“Wait, Kogane? As in _Keith_ Kogane?” Hunk exclaimed, peering around Keith. Seeing him in the same ‘disguise’ as the day before, Hunk's eyebrows rose. “Wait, you…”

The front door opened and a group of giggling girls burst in, popping their quiet bubble. All of them turned to look: Keith was the first to turn back again. “Should we leave you to it?” he said, probably a little gruffly.

“Good idea,” said Matt.

“I’ll show you to your seats,” Hunk offered with a bright smile.

Shiro had wrangled them seats near the front, right in the centre. He wondered if Lance would see him now that he was closer to the stage. Grimacing to himself, Keith sidled in first, determined to keep his head down as much as possible in the scenes that Lance would be onstage. When he turned around to sit down, he found that Matt had disappeared from his side. Blinking, Keith looked along the row and found him handing some money to Hunk, his arms filled with snacks and a couple of programmes. The small mountain looked like it'd be enough to feed the cast of the play. Shaking his head, Keith sat down and prepared for a long three hours.

* * *

Matt had given Keith one of his bottles of Coke for drinking and Keith had been in the middle of taking a sip when Lance walked on during the very first scene. It was a miracle he didn't spit it out all over the old woman sitting in front of him. With wide eyes, he stared up at the stage where Lance sported a set of pointed ears and, instead of the red markings he had had the night before, dark blue ones to match his tunic. His hair was more artfully ruffled and his skin practically glowed. All in all, he looked gorgeous, as testified by the girls in the audience who squealed in delight. He was also making a forlorn expression, something Keith thought didn't suit him.

It took Keith some time – he and Benvolio had done several lines back and forth – before he was able to close his mouth. Then, the new information having sunk in, Keith scrambled for the programme, using the little light that filtered down to him from the stage to see by. He flicked through it as he kept glancing towards the stage, almost expecting it to dissolve into nothingness and this whole situation to be a dream.

Finally, he got to the page with the cast and he turned the page until he found Lance's picture. He was grinning in it, his hand raised to show the peace sign. Or maybe it was more accurate to call it the victory sign. Lance looked genuinely happy and excited – as well he should. Underneath his name, it listed a fair few roles he had already done. And, crucially, it said that, not only was he Mercutio, but he was the understudy for Romeo.

With Craig out of action, he'd been promoted.

Keith leaned back and focussed on the play, willing his heart to stop beating so fast from his surprise. It really didn't help that Lance was actually _good_ at playing a lovesick teenager. He added sighs where he obviously thought there should be some and moped his way through the first scene. And, when he first spotted Juliet – Liv – he looked utterly in love. His first few words to her were a little breathless but, as they spoke together, falling more in love, he grew happier, the smile spreading effortlessly across his face. Then came the kisses: the first was chaste and sweet; the second longer and with a little tongue.

When the act ended, Matt turned to Keith. "Are you okay?" he asked Keith. "You were fiddling around with the programme right at the start..."

"Oh, uh," said Keith, scrambling for an excuse. "I recognised the guy playing Romeo. Bumped into him once. He mentioned he was playing Mercutio so I was really confused."

"Ah, yeah. The make-up artists did a good job, didn't they?" Matt said with an excited grin. "He looks gorgeous, doesn't he? No wonder Juliet fell for _this_ Romeo." He twisted in his seat and nodded behind them. Keith followed his gaze and found the group of girls he had seen earlier. They were huddled together, chattering away, looking utterly delighted. "Sounds like he charmed them, too."

"Yeah..." Thankfully, Keith didn't need to continue the conversation as someone whom Matt knew suddenly popped up. They expressed joy at seeing each other and he stood to talk with him – which completely covered Keith's muttering. "Shit," he said, well aware that Lance _could_ pull off Danny if he put in the effort.

* * *

The famous balcony scene was twice as moving and amusing with Lance as Romeo. He appeared, rolling his eyes at Mercutio's joke in the previous scene before catching sight of Juliet. Everyone could clearly see the moment he stopped caring about anything else – about his friends, his family's feud, the fact that he was in an enemy's garden with their moving plants. Every action he made while making his speech about how beautiful Juliet was showed all the more how much he was infatuated with her.

Then, every time he was interrupted by Juliet, he slumped and huffed, pouting a little. It was clear to Keith that Romeo – _Lance_ , it was only Lance – was put out that he couldn't continue to wax lyrical about the young woman he loved. Yet, as Juliet continued to speak, a soft smile would replace his pout. You could see how deeply he loved her.

His joy at marrying Juliet was uplifting, his reactions to the death of Mercutio and Tybalt were painful and his scene upon hearing the news of Juliet's death was heart-wrenching. Each widening of the eyes or falling tear or happy smile had Keith on the edge of his seat, despite knowing how the story would end. The time flew past and, all too soon, they were at the death scene.

That last scene was painful to watch. Romeo's grief had him swaying a little, seemingly unable to comprehend the fate that had played out for him. His fight with Paris was almost desperate, his pistol sweeping across the stage as he shot at him until Paris was, inevitably, killed. Upon finding out who he had just killed, Romeo – _Lance_ , dammit – looked just as distraught as he had upon the rest of the deaths throughout the play. Finally, he came to Juliet and caressed her face and held her hand, tears streaming down his face. His voice was broken and shaky, the words seeming to only barely be audible yet carrying throughout the theatre as everyone held their breaths. A final, brief kiss had him 'dying' beside Juliet, his body sprawled beside her on his back. Lance stayed utterly still for the rest of the scene and Keith began to think someone had actually poisoned the young actor.

But, at the end, when everyone applauded and the girls shrieked and people wolf-whistled, Lance leapt to his feet and helped Liv up, both of them grinning at the appreciation. They bowed with everyone else. When Lance came forward to bow, there was such a deafening noise that Keith winced but he kept clapping, aware that Lance deserved it.

He was also aware that he was going to have to _fight_ for the role of Danny.


End file.
